MDA DESIGNATES ALS CENTER
AT OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY

TUCSON, Ariz., June 4, 2003 — Ohio State University Medical Center has been designated as the site of a new MDA/ALS research and clinical center. The center is the 30th facility to receive the designation from the Muscular Dystrophy Association’s ALS Division.

MDA established the comprehensive, multidisciplinary center to serve people with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a fatal muscle-wasting disease prominent in MDA’s program. In ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, destruction of nerve cells that control voluntary muscles leads to severe muscle wasting and paralysis. Death typically results within three to five years of diagnosis, usually from respiratory complications. Some 30,000 Americans are affected by ALS.

The cause of ALS isn't fully understood, and no cure exists. MDA-funded researchers are exploring several potential treatments.

The new MDA/ALS center will be directed by OSU College of Medicine and Public Health neurologists John Kissel and Steven Nash. Kissel is professor and vice chairman of the Department of Neurology, and Nash is an assistant professor of neurology.

The new center is located at McCampbell Hall, 1581 Dodd Drive, Room 395, in Columbus. Those wishing to obtain more information or to schedule appointments at the center should call MDA Health Care Service Coordinator Amy Bartlett at MDA’s Columbus office at (614) 841-1014.

Kissel and Nash head a team that includes physicians, a nurse coordinator, respiratory therapist, physical therapist and a genetics consultant. The center will also offer access to such services as occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, social work and nutritional counseling, and will feature a pulmonologist, cardiologist and gastroenterologist.

In addition to providing clinical services, the OSU team will conduct ALS research funded by MDA. Respiratory therapist Jerry Reynolds is involved in a study of respiratory issues and ALS, and the center is set to begin a new trial of IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor 1, a protein that promotes muscle growth).

“We welcome the Columbus facility to our roster of MDA/ALS centers,” MDA President & CEO Robert Ross said. “Under the direction of Drs. Kissel and Nash, the center will provide the best, most comprehensive care available for people with ALS, while helping to advance our search for better treatments and a cure.”

With some $16.6 million invested in the fight against ALS this year, MDA is the private-sector leader in the worldwide scientific battle against the disease.

MDA is a voluntary health agency working to defeat more than 40 neuromuscular diseases through programs of worldwide research, comprehensive services, and far-reaching professional and public health education. The Association's programs are funded almost entirely by individual private contributors.